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Lawmakers Are Pushing Ahead On A Plan For More Iran Sanctions

Corker
speaks with reporters after Democratic and Republican party
policy luncheons at the U.S. Capitol in
WashingtonThomson
Reuters

WASHINGTON
(Reuters) - Republican and Democratic U.S. lawmakers will press
ahead with a plan for more sanctions on Iran, the chairman of the
Senate Foreign Relations Committee said on Wednesday, despite
White House warnings that they risked derailing nuclear
talks.

Lawmakers, who say they fear Obama administration negotiators may
not take a hard enough line with Tehran, are also at work on a
separate bill to have Congress approve any final agreement on
Iran's nuclear program, Senator Bob Corker, the chairman, told
Reuters in an interview.

"There's continual efforts to try to figure out a way for
Congress to play a role to strengthen whatever final deal may
occur," the Tennessee Republican senator said.

Republican Senator Mark Kirk and Democratic Senator Robert
Menendez are finalizing a bill for tougher sanctions on Iran if
there is no final nuclear deal by June 30.

The Senate Banking Committee is due to hold a hearing on Iran
sanctions on Tuesday, said Corker, a member also of that panel.

Kirk and Menendez introduced a sanctions bill in December 2013,
but it did not come up for a vote in the Senate, then controlled
by President Barack Obama's fellow Democrats, who lost control of
the chamber because of big losses in November elections.

The White House has insisted passage of a sanctions bill now -
even one that would impose new restrictions only if there is no
deal by the deadline - could prompt Iran to back out of the
nuclear talks with six world powers.

Although Republicans now hold a 54-46 seat majority in the
Senate, Corker said he did not know if there would be enough
votes - 67 - needed in the Senate to override an Obama veto of
any Iran legislation.

REUTERS

ISLAMIC STATE CAMPAIGN

Corker also said Republicans were open to giving Obama discretion
in how to conduct the campaign against Islamic State militants,
if he were to seek a formal authorization for the use of military
force against them.

But they want the White House to provide them with a plan and the
administration is still in the very early stages of laying the
groundwork with Congress for any legislation.

Obama launched an air campaign against Islamic State fighters in
Iraq and Syria in August and is deploying up to 3,000 military
personnel in Iraq to train and support local forces. He adopted a
go-slow approach to the issue of formal authorization for the
campaign last year.

"It's very possible that over the next couple weeks we actually
are able to have some language from them (the Obama
administration), which is an important first step in the
process," Corker said.

The Obama administration may be closer to congressional
Republicans than Democrats on the issue of the military campaign.
Many Democrats want any authorization to bar sending in U.S.
combat troops - "boots on the ground" - but Republicans generally
agree that it is better not to restrict military commanders.

"Republicans lean towards authorizing the president to deal with
ISIS in an appropriate way. And generally speaking, Democrats
want to see limitations on that," Corker said.

REUTERS/Enrique De La Osa

HEARINGS ON CUBA

Corker promised "robust" committee hearings in coming weeks on
the administration's December announcement it would seek to
normalize U.S. relations with Cuba.

"All of us are going to know a lot about the Cuba situation
probably by the end of February," he added.

The news of Obama's Cuba policy shift infuriated hardline members
of Congress - led by Cuban-American Republicans - who vehemently
oppose easing restrictions on trade or improving relations with
the island nation's Communist government.

Corker said he had yet to take a position on the issue, although
he said he did not think the 53-year-long Cuban embargo had been
effective.